Gazette Of The United States

LONDON.

DOCTOR PRIESTLEY is arrived in London, not thinking it safe to remain in the neighbourhood of Birmingham. The following Letter from the Doctor appeared in one of the London Morning papers, and our readers will no doubt be glad to see it.

To the Inhabitants of the Town of Birmingham.

My late Townsmen and Neighbours,

AFTER living with you eleven years, in which you had uniform experience of my peaceful behaviour, in my attention to the quiet studies of my profession, and those of philosophy, I was far from expecting the injuries which I and my friends have lately received from you. But you have been misled by hearing the Dissenters, and particularly the Unitarian Dissenters, continually railed at, as enemies to the present Government, in Church and State. You have been led to consider any injury done to us as a meritorious thing; and not having been better informed, the means were not attended to. When the object was right, you thought the means could not be wrong. By the discourses of your teachers, and the exclamations of your superiors in general, drinking confusion and damnation to us, (which is well known to have been their frequent practice) your bigotry has been excited to the highest pitch, and nothing having been said to you to moderate your passions, but every thing to inflame them; hence, without any consideration on your part, or on theirs, who ought to have known and taught you better—you were prepared for every species of outrage; thinking, that whatever you could do to spite and injure us, was for the support of Government, and especially the Church. In destroying us, you have been led to think you did God and your country the most substantial Service.

Happily, the minds of Englishmen have an horror of murder, and therefore you did not, I hope, think of that; though, by your clamorous demanding of me at the Hotel, it is probable that, at the time, some of you intended me some personal injury. But what is the value of life, when every thing is done to make it wretched. In many cases, there would be greater mercy in dispatching the inhabitants than burning their houses. However, I infinitely prefer what I feel from the spoiling of my goods, to the disposition of those who have misled you.

You have destroyed the most truly valuable and useful apparatus of philosophical instruments that perhaps any individual, in this or any other country, was ever possessed of; in my use of which I annually spent large sums, with no pecuniary view whatever, but only in the advancement of science, for the benefit of my country, and of mankind. You have destroyed a library corresponding to that apparatus, which no money can repurchase, except in a long course of time. But what I feel far more, you have destroyed manuscripts, which have been the result of the laborious study of many years, and which I shall never be able to recompose; and this has been done to one who never did, or imagined, you any harm.

I know nothing more of the hand-bill which is said to have enraged you so much, than any of yourselves, and I disapprove of it as much; though it has been made the ostensible handle of doing infinitely more mischief than any thing of that nature could possibly have done. In the celebration of the French Revolution, at which I did not attend, the company assembled on the occasion only expressed their joy in the emancipation of a neighbouring nation from tyranny, without intimating a desire of any thing more than such an improvement of our own constitution, as all sober citizens, of every persuasion, have long wished for. And though, in answer to the gross and unproved calumnies of Mr. Madan, and others, I publicly vindicated my principles as a Dissenter, it was only with plain and sober argument, and with perfect good humour. We are better instructed in the mild and forbearing spirit of Christianity, than ever to think of having recourse to violence: and can you think such conduct as yours any recommendation of your religious principles, in preference to ours?

You are still more mistaken, if you imagine that this conduct of yours has any tendency to serve your cause, or to prejudice ours. It is nothing but reason and argument that can ever support any system of religion. Answer our arguments and your business is done. But your having recourse to violence is only a proof that you have nothing better to produce. Should you destroy myself as well as my house, library and apparatus, ten more persons, of equal or superior spirit and ability, would instantly rise up. If those ten were destroyed, an hundred would appear; and believe me, that the Church of England, which you now think you are supporting, has received a greater blow by this conduct of yours, than I and all my friends have ever aimed at it.

Besides, to abuse those who have no power of making resistance is equally cowardly and brutal, peculiarly unworthy of Englishmen, to say nothing of Christianity, which teaches us to do as we would be done by. In this business we are the sheep, and you the wolves. We will preserve our character, and hope you will change yours. At all events, we return you blessings for curses; and pray that you may soon return to that industry, and those sober manners, for which the inhabitants of Birmingham were formerly distinguished.

I am,

Your sincere well-wisher,

London, July 19, 1791,

J. PRIESTLEY.

P. S. The account of the first Toast at the Revolution Dinner in The Times of this morning, can be nothing less than a malicious lie. To prove this, a list of the Toasts, with an account of all the proceedings of the day, will soon be published. The first of them was, The King and the Constitution, and they were all such as the friends of liberty, and the true principles of the Constitution, would approve.

Mr. Keir who acted as Chairman to the meeting which celebrated the anniversary of the French revolution in Birmingham, in an address to the public, refutes the several allegations against the Company in the following words:

I HAVE heard that it is reported that we drank disloyal and seditious toasts. Now the very first toast that was given was The King and Constitution. I do not know any words in the English language expressive of greater loyalty. And one of the toasts was Peace and good will to all mankind, which cannot easily be interpreted to excite people to tumult. I shall hereafter publish a list of all the toasts, which were altogether in the same spirit of loyalty, peace, and charity.

A second report is, that Justice Charles was insulted and turned out of the room. The fact is, that Justice Charles never was in the room, and therefore it is not easy to conceive how he could be turned out. I will add, that I have not the smallest doubt, that if that gentleman had come, he would have been received with due respect.

A third report was that a seditious hand-bill had been distributed by the members of the meeting, on some preceding day. A seditious and truly infamous hand-bill was distributed, it is true, but by whom written or distributed, is not known. It is heartily to be wished that the persons concerned may be discovered and punished according to law. As soon as the gentlemen of Birmingham, who had concerted the Commemoration Meeting, saw this hand-bill, they perceived that the effect and perhaps the intention of it was to inflame the mob against them, and they immediately published in the Thursday's Newspaper, an advertisement declaring that disavowal of this hand-bill, and their own loyal attachment to the King, Lords and Commons.* They also sent hand-bills, with copies of this advertisement, all over Birmingham. It was not possible for them to do any thing more effectual to prevent any bad effects from this seditious paper, or to rescue themselves from the calumny of their being the authors of it.

The last false report that I have heard relative to that meeting, is concerning Dr. Priestley's behavior there.—To this I suppose it will be sufficient to answer, that Dr. Priestley was not present.

* Birmingham, Commemoration of the French Revolution.—Several hand-bills having been circulated in town, which can only be intended to create distrust concerning the intention of the meeting, to disturb its harmony and inflame the minds of the people, the Gentlemen who proposed it, think it necessary to declare their entire disapprobation of all such hand-bills, and their ignorance of the authors : Sensible themselves of the advantages of a free government, they rejoice in the extension of liberty to their neighbors, at the same time avowing, in the most explicit manner their attachment to the constitution of their own country, as vested in the Three Estates of the King, Lords, and Commons : Surely no free-born Englishman can refrain from exulting in this addition to the general Mass of human happiness; it is the cause of humanity, it is the cause of the people."

Birmingham, July 13, 1791.